Review: Banshee at Kings Island
Overview The longest inverted coaster in existence and the last one to be built in the USA, Banshee at Kings Island in Mason, OH opened in 2014 to critical acclaim. Built by B&M (Bolliger & Mabillard), it boasts 4,124 feet of track, operating with three trains seating four across in 8 rows for a total capacity of 32 riders. The restraint is an over- the- shoulder harness. Layout, Theme a...[Read More]
Worst Coaster Trip Ever – Argument in Favor of Fast Lane
Disaster in Ohio Of all the trips I’ve taken in order to experience world class coasters, my trip to Kings Island almost six years ago was unquestionably the worst. It would be difficult to imagine a more dismal or disastrous scenario. Because my flight from Philly didn’t arrive in Ohio until midafternoon, by the time I arrived at Kings Island it was almost 3:30. Once inside the park I drove aro...[Read More]
Why Not Get Suspended?
No, not from work or school, but from some classic Arrow steel track! The Bat at Kings Island, opened in 1994 (not too be confused with the similarly named but ultimately failed early 80s suspended coaster) and was called Top Gun. Appropriately, it was themed to the 1986 movie. I think Kings Island nailed it with its current paint job and the revival of the legendary failure’s name. It ...[Read More]
Why Not Go Big?
Banshee at Mason, Ohio’s Kings Island was introduced as the world’s longest inverted coaster. Aside from any record-breaking facts toted at its introduction, in person, this new-for-2014 B&M beaut is huge and moves an impressive amount of people through its queues every day the park is open. So Why Not Get Inverted? Have you ridden Banshee? Which inverted B&M coaster is your f...[Read More]
Why Not Take a Flight?
Firehawk at Kings Kings Island is one of three of Vekoma’s Flying Dutchman roller coasters in the U.S. Originally painted green and black and named X-Flight, this flying coaster once lived in northeast Ohio at the now defunct Six Flags Worlds of Adventure (or that park’s more familiar name, Geauga Lake). Now in southwest Ohio, Firehawk still provides plenty of white-knuckle rides. Wh...[Read More]
CoasterCritics’ Picks: Our 15 Worst Roller Coaster Experiences
Our Most Regrettable Roller Coaster Experiences Like other hobbies, riding roller coasters has its mountaintop experiences. Those unforgettable, glorious, mind-blowing rides that make other rides pale in comparison. As a group, we came up with our picks for these rides. In case you missed it, see what we consider the 10 best roller coasters in America. What makes those rides so special is that we ...[Read More]
Announcing CoasterCritics’ Picks: Our Top 10 Roller Coasters List
Given the growing team and community here at CoasterCritic, I thought it’d be fun to launch a critic-driven Top 10 that would become the site’s official list of the top roller coasters. In order to incorporate new rides, the list will be refreshed annually. Our first annual Top 10 Roller Coasters List combines the lists from the writers for CoasterCritic (Joel, John, Bobbie, and Jon), ...[Read More]
Review: Mystic Timbers at Kings Island
Mystic Timbers was my first modern wooden roller coaster. Prior to that, the most recently built wooden coaster I’d ridden was Cedar Point’s Mean Streak which, I can attest to, was never a great ride even when it was brand new in 1991. Within a couple years it had become fairly rough. I remember very clearly riding Mean Streak its last summer before it received the trim brakes on the first hill. I...[Read More]
Kings Island Trip Report & Future Speculation
Visiting Kings Island had been a bucket list item of mine for many years. I can’t say whether it was effective advertising that I’d absorbed watching Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoons or whether it was due to my early research on roller coasters as a kid on a database such as ProQuest in the public library. I remember looking for the record-breaking coasters that existed at the time, a quest...[Read More]
Kyle Lindner’s Otherworldly Roller Coaster Artwork
Kyle Lindner writes at Coaster101 and is also a graphic designer and photographer. He’s put a neat twist on roller coaster and theme park photography with his chromoskedasic prints. As you’ll see the pictures have a really unique look with a style that goes way beyond your typical roller coaster photos. Kyle explained to me how these prints are made: They’re called chromoskedasic...[Read More]
Top 9 New Roller Coasters for 2017 – Part 2
Here are my top picks for the best new roller coasters opening in 2017. As I stated in Part 1, I decided to focus on North America. Again, let us know how you’d rank them in the comments. 5 – GaleForce at Playland’s Castaway Cove In Ocean City, New Jersey beach-goers will have more than just the waves and warm sun to look forward to. Playland’s Castaway Cove is set to open a comp...[Read More]
Mystic Timbers is Kings Island’s Mysterious New Roller Coaster
Mystic Timbers Opening at Kings Island in 2017 This Spring, Kings Island will be opening a new roller coaster called Mystic Timbers. It’ll be the park’s 15th roller coaster and 4th wooden roller coaster. Mystic Timbers will be 109 feet tall and reach speeds of 53 mph along a course of 3,265 feet featuring 16 airtime hills. It will be located in the Rivertown section of the park near hy...[Read More]